UNCatTech

My radiator appears to be leaking.

When replacing the radiator is the condensing coil built in or can I replace only the radiator?

3.2TLc

The radiator is separate from the AC condenser's fan assembly and the cooling fan shroud.
It's relatively simple to replace. Drain the coolant, take both hoses off, unplug the fans, unbolt the top brackets, pull the rad assembly up, remove both fan shrouds, and then just reverse the above steps to put it back in.

If the radiator is fairly clean and not corroded, it's possible to have it repaired if there's only a minor leak.

01tl4tl

where is it leaking from,,top- seams- cap area, rock hit to front?

seperate the ac condensor so it stays in the car- hooked up

take it to a radiator shop, they take them apart, clean and repair if possible
or have a good price on replacement

replacing the rad and heater hoses and thermostat now is wise,,if the rad has prob and the hoses are 10 years old++...coolant not changed in 5+ years...
a few more 20s from the pocket will ensure trouble free driving

jliu6789

my adpted 01 TL had radiator leak. the coolant spill under hood and white steam come out from grill. basically the engine suck the coolant out of tank but won't overflow back to tank, instead, it leak and spill.

I tried everything, burping, changing radiator cap, swap in the tube/cap/joint of overflow tank from my good TL. nothing works. in one week, 1 gallon of Type II coolant is gone.

so it's the pressure issue. borrowed the tester at Advance Auto shop, applied 18psi for pressure testing. it went to 15 psi in one minutes. applied pressure again, and observed the green bubble come out from where top plastic tube join the radiator(pic 1).

was thinking to get genuine radiator or order one from Advance auto. then read from internet one guy fixed the leak with 5 min PermProx. so why not try it . got one $7. applied it. it actually works. no more leak, spill. (pic 3). the proxy settle in a few minutes and harden overnight. it was transparent clear, but now it looks green (color of coolant). doesn't look pretty, but it works.

so let's see how long it will last - so far one week has passed.

one lesson - use genuine part, new or used, to fix the problem. I think the radiator leak problem was due to the hood openner I bought from EBay; it is gas pressured, so strong that I had to bang it so hard to close the hood. the impact may cause the radiator tube crack.

(ok, when I found out the hood opener didn't hold the hood, I realized why the seller opened the hood and hold it for me to inspect the engine !!!)

3.2TLc

This epoxy patch trick sometimes can be a temporary fix for the radiator top, but chances are that if it developed a leak there ....it may be somewhere else in the future.

I had tried that on my '95 Accord's plastic rad top. Didn't work the first time, but after better cleaning and preparation.....I got it to work for a couple of years. Roughing up the surface along with a piece of fiberglass cloth to help reinforce the repair is the key, along with proper cure time.

jliu6789

I installed a new Spectra Premium CU2147. the old stock with epoxy fix just gave in . it is great to have no more green spray or leak under the hood.

got it from RockAuto for under $90 including shipping. the fedex ground from Midwest to NJ took only 2 days, main reason didn't go OEM from CA vendor.

Spectra seems to be a decent company and the installation is easy and perfect fit for 2001 TL.

hopefully it will last; we will see.

3.2TLc

Good decision with the cold winter months just around the corner. $100 for peace of mind !

jliu6789

definitely. you didn't see it but you can image how dirty and debris clogged the 12yrs/152k old radiator is. the new one is clean and should be more efficient.

3.2TLc

Keep in mind, if the rad was ugly....it could indicate some neglect. The other parts of the cooling system could have the same nasty build-up which you're referring to. The newer alloys react chemically to acidic residue.

I usually fully drain/flush the cooling system every couple years. It's always a good time to make sure that all the various hoses & fittings are in good shape. Replacing the old T-stat with a new 2 stage Honda part is good PM if you don't know when it was last done.
Make sure that the system is burped of air, then check your sensors and fans.

01tl4tl

the engine block drain plug is important and often overlooked

Coolant needs to be changed every 5 years MAX, after the first oe run to 7/105/wp job.
some brands say right on the package to do sooner

as noted above, the problem is: the anti corrosion additives wear out in ~5 years and things turn acidic, in an aluminum environment.....
Anyone awake that day in 7th grade science class?

jliu6789

I located the coolant drain bolt at the engine block (it is right above the old drain) but failed to unbolt it due to tight space. so my replacement of engine coolant is only from radiator drain (that should be 90% of all coollant as I pull in almost the full gallon?). I did use Honda Long Life Type II so hopefully the anti corrossion additives you mentioned should work for a while ( 5 yrs is good enough for me).

T-Stat is definitely my next target to check.

(read from another thread: when unable to drain from block, complete drain from radiator, then start engine with fan running to bring the coolant out of block to radiator hose to drain while watching engine temp. I didn't try this).

3.2TLc

How did the old coolant appear when drained .....was it discolored and yuk ?

"BURPING"......

To purge the air out of the cooling system, it's necessary to bring the motor up to operating temp with the heater blower on high. The fans should come on and the coolant will start to "bubble out" the rad's opening, purging the air out from within the higher parts of the cooling system to ensure a continuois flow. Replace cap, let motor cool, then retop the coolant in the rad and the overflow reservoir.

I'd suggest replacing the T-stat and rad cap, then proceed to "burp" the air !

01tl4tl

do NOT run engine with no coolant trying to empty block!
access drain bolt by removing passenger front wheel

capacity closer to 1.5 1.7 iirc

specifics of burping rad for your year can be found in the owner manual
heater on full HOT is critical -with cabin fan ON, open doors!!
Requires idle till fan cycles, top off, 2000rpm till fan cycles twice, top off, another idle cycle..etc
then reck levels in the morning cold

when cold: res should be at cold line, the hose inside res cap firmly attached, and the rad to the bottem of filler neck so its right to the rubber seal of cap

a New cap never hurt,,if not done already
cap maintains pressure= how system operates!

if you dont have the manual register here and its a free download
www.owners.acura.com need cars VIN
thats acuras system, look up recalls,store maitenance log, store radio codes
all free

jliu6789

oh yes, I did burping the radiator. (the lesson I learnt is that when burping you still need to close the cap but not tighten it)

the color of drained coolant is green, not as clear green as new type II but not that bad either.

btw, the radiator (spectra premium) comes with a cap ! so for under $90, you can't beat it.

01tl4tl

I will repeat: READ the owner book!